1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fish skin leather and a method of making the same, more particularly to a fish skin leather with vivid fish skin grains and a method of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Raw materials for making leather goods generally include cattlehides and sheepskins. In addition, crocodile skins or scales are also used for making leather goods. Although crocodile skin leather goods have good reception, since crocodile skins are not easy to obtain and are relatively costly to process and manufacture, their share of the leather market is still limited. Hence, some manufacturers have switched to using fish skins for making leather since fish skins are readily available.
Conventional fish skin processing methods generally include tanning, dyeing, drying, glazing, etc. During the tanning process, the fish skin is washed and cleaned. Minute hair and scales attached to the surface of the fish skin are removed using specific agents. Then, active enzymes are used to disintegrate the flesh (including the outer surface of the fish skin which has fish skin grains and which has scales adhered thereto). The descaled fish skin obtained after the tanning process is substantially flat and smooth.
The descaled fish skin is then dyed with a predetermined color. The dyed skin is subsequently dried, ironed and glazed using organic agents such as lacquers to yield a sheet of fish skin leather.
As the method for processing fish skins is very similar to that for processing cattlehides and sheepskins, and as fishes are comparatively small in size and can be bred on an intensive scale, fish skins are promising raw materials for making leather on a large scale. However, fish skin leathers available on the market are largely flat. In other words, while fish skin leathers are smooth to the touch, they lack vivid fish skin grains that are marked by distinct ridges and furrows, and hence fail to provide a rich texture. As such, the varieties of fish skin leathers available for consumer selection are limited.